Comments on: Captain Quotehttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/
Development site for Bronx Banter Blog's upcoming look and feelFri, 09 Dec 2016 10:06:26 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.9.14By: Yanksterhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155019
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 16:09:48 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155019My impression was that only a sample of players were tested and that of that sample, 103 tested positive – at a rate of about 8% which means about 1287 players were tested. If the sample was random, that’s a pretty statistically meaningful sample size. At a 95% confidence interval, it would yield a margin of error of around 3%.

On the other hand, it seems likely according to reports since of banned over-the-counter supplements, that it’s pretty easy to go into a GNC, buy a couple of supplements, and fail the drug test on multiple counts, which I’d hardly call immoral or cheating, and almost certainly useless as a performance enhancer.

That makes me think 8% isn’t actually all that high. I bet the greeny level is much higher.

]]>By: seamushttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155018
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:16:38 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155018[29] context is important. Most minority subsets in population sampling are very small percentage wise. You would expect a small minority of people in a subset conducting illegal or inappropriate behaviors to be a lot smaller than 10%. And yeah I’m being lazy and rounding…
]]>By: Mr. Maxhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155017
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:53:12 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155017Wasn’t the testing random? When did they test every single player before 2004? We have no idea how many were tested. It’s 104/???
]]>By: The Hawkhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155016
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 04:46:09 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155016[28] Well it’s technically less than 10%, and if you think 10% isn’t a small minority that’s your right of course. But if you make it on a scale of 10, it’s as small as you can have. I think 40% would be a large minority, 30% a decent-sized one, etc. Fairly reasonable, no? And since 104 is closer to 8 percent, I think it’s safe to say it is pretty damn a small minority. If 92% are clean, I’d call that an almost overwhelming majority. 9 out of 10, ya know?

But yeah, probably not that low. You can probably double it at the very least.

]]>By: seamushttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155015
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:43:21 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155015First I want to say that 1 in 10 players is not a small minority. It is a minority of players, but 1 in every 10 is huge. But, given that the testing occurred in 2003 and players knew it was happening you gotta believe some stopped. So I have a hard time believing it is limited to 1 in 10. Then there is the people who may have quit earlier or who didn’t quit but somehow got lucky on the tests. Where there is smoke (104 positive tests) there is fire. But 10% is significant imo.
]]>By: Richhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155014
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:41:27 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155014I depart from my comment above on one point. If Jeter, as a clean player, wants to drive home the point that the non-users have been unfairly tainted by the high profile users, he should lead an effort to pressure the MLBPA to agree to blood tests and perhaps freezing blood samples for future testing in the future when assays become more sophisticated.
]]>By: Richhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155013
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:07:15 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155013I still think the majority of players were juicing, but that comment aside, Jeter handled the situation very well.
]]>By: Chyll Willhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155012
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 03:02:34 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155012“…you have to put one foot
in front of the other,
and the other one
down, down, down…”

I don’t know; that might become relevant within the next few days >;)

]]>By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYOhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155011
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:47:00 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155011Anyone check out NoMaas’ little post on Jon Heyman’s article at SI.com?? hysterically funny..it’s kind of fun having writers like that around to laugh at actually..
]]>By: Shaun P.http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155010
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:33:53 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155010[13] Simone, my understanding is that the effects of Vincent’s memo in the early 90s are equivalent to if you or I sent out such a memo. If Vincent wanted to really make PEDs against the rules of MLB, he needed a testing regimen, and the only way to have gotten that was to collectively bargain with the MLBPA. He never did so, and so his memo is meaningless as far as the MLB rules go.

You are correct that, under the controlled substances act that Congress passed in 1990, possession without a valid doctor’s prescription is a crime. However, in legal practice, use is almost never enough to prove possession that violates the statute. For example, a ballplayer who used a PED obtained in the Dominican Republic (where there is no controlled substances act) did not violate US law. So there is definitely some gray area here.

All that aside – I think its clear that, at the very least, A-Rod tried to cheat (I’m not convinced that using the PEDs did anything to help him), and I find his explanation credible. (There were some things I was very naive, and stupid, about at ages 25/26/27.) A-Rod admitted to using and apologized for it, so I have no quarrel with him. I find the details irrelevant.

In any case, I was – and continue to be – outraged over the treatment that both Bonds and McGwire (and Sosa for that matter) have received from the media over the PED issue, not just A-Rod. The whole thing stinks, and unfortunately, to me, much of the smell is coming from the media, who attack the ballplayers at every opportunity, but do not put people like Jeff Novitsky, or the guy who leaked the sealed BALCO grand jury testimony, under anything approximating the same spotlight. Novitsky blatantly abused his powers as a government employee, and yet I almost get the impression that some baseball writers would gladly buy the guy a drink! I consider Novitsky’s abuse of power to be a far worse act that anything any of the ballplayers is accused of doing (only because I believe that Bonds did not commit perjury; perjury is a pretty serious offense).

]]>By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYOhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155009
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:27:56 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155009[21] Over here March 5-9. Japan, China, Korea and Taiwan. Am hoping to go see a few games if I can, SRO most likely. The Japan-Korea games last year were insanely over-the-top emotional..all the historical baggage, etc. Also, a lot of Korean players play in the Japan League so there was a lot of cross-over.
]]>By: rbjhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155008
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 01:01:22 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155008[20] I’ll follow. When’s it start?
]]>By: Mr. OK Jazz TOKYOhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155007
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:56:27 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155007[9][10] Point taken!

So is anyone following the WBC or do I need to head to the Tokyo Talk Yakult Swallows blog in Japanese??

]]>By: rbjhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155006
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:44:52 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155006 [6] A-Rod has entered into that rare territory where everything he does is scrutinized, spun negatively, and seemingly never forgotten.

A-Rod entered that territory long ago, and not only has he sold off the time share, he’s bought the biggest mansion there and is currently adding on to it.

As to Bonds, there are other factors in play, the newness off the steroid story and the fact that he’s denied it. A-Rod at least ‘fessed up right away. And I am now having more sympathy with Bonds, in that the feds are leaning on his trainer’s wife and her mother to get some cooperation. To me, that stinks and is a real waste of DoJ time and money to go after.

Lastly on this issue, I do think A-Rod knows more, but he does not want to name names. And if he answered a question with “I’m not going to name names”, the next day some gloryhound congressman is going to subpoena his butt to Capitol Hill, putting him in the option of 1) refusing to testify, which could lead to prosecution, 2) denying under oath, leading to perjury charges, or 3) naming names and making him even more of a pariah. Lots of other guys know who was juicing, why don’t they come forward?

And Alex, I enjoyed your tales of your old barber. Today I went to get my haircut at the regular place. Usually there’s an older Indian (Hindu) woman who cuts it and she does a great job. But it appears she’s not there anymore. Instead there was a young girl who had some bad scissors. Result was a bad haircut. It’s tough to find a good barber.

]]>By: Chyll Willhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155005
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:37:38 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155005[17] I predict that afterward, the MLB will fold the Yanks and disperse all the players 30 y.o. and under in a dispersal draft, force the older players with contracts $12 million a year and more to retire and the rest will be declared free agents.
]]>By: Nutball Gazettehttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155004
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:32:45 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155004My prediction is A-**** will fold under pressure, He will hit 18 Home Runs hit .175 and Strike Out 237 times and make 56 errors in the field and lead the yankees to a 48-114 record.
]]>By: Dimelohttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155003
Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:51:59 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155003[13]Where all this outrage against the media was when they were persecuting Bonds?

I sure didn’t see too much outrage around these parts, rather at the toaster when the banter lived and breathed there.

I agree with you 100%. I don’t understand why people are so mad at the media, Selena Roberts, or whomever, they didn’t force ARod to take the roids, they didn’t force ARod to give varying stories about why he took the roids, etc.

I agree with one thing though, how the information was leaked is kind of shady but at this point what can you do? The cat’s out of the bag already. Plus, I asked this question, I heard Kirk Radomski say on WFAN that it was teammates of Alex who were the four sources. If that’s true, that’s really effed up and adds more juice – pun intended – to the story.

Also, why is Cashman so peeved at how ARod has gone about this? Even he agrees that ARod has done a ‘terrible job’ – in Chris Russo’s voice – addressing this.

The way this stuff came out was messed up, but I find that anger to be somewhat misdirected, I don’t blame Selena Roberts because apparently the NY Times was in on the story too. Roberts just beat them to the punch. So it was going to come out, either by Roberts or someone in the Times. I don’t find the media to blame at all in any of this, they are simply following the story a lot of people want to talk and read about. Is that so bad? Or is it bad cause our superstar 3rd basemen has been exposed?

The chicken has come home to roost. I could care less about PED, but if you do them and you get caught, then guess what..you have to suffer through the consequences of your actions.

]]>By: Chyll Willhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155002
Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:27:31 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155002Never mind, Monk, you’re right. Woosh! I just look at baseball as less a priority in my life than say a government that can alter my life in more direct ways.
]]>By: Chyll Willhttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155001
Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:25:13 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155001[10] Okay, I see you’ve answered the question already. Is baseball really so important that it outpaces government and corruption because we expect our athletes to be honest? I don’t find these two areas that easy to separate unless you realize that baseball is a game, and government is life. But then to a lot of people, life is a game, too. Huh.
]]>By: Simonehttp://www.bronxbanterblog.com/2009/02/18/captain-quote/#comment-155000
Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:24:55 +0000http://www.bronxbanterblog.com/?p=8172#comment-155000[2] I strongly suspect that Jeter didn’t make that statement because he chose not to lie. He is not friends with Alex Rodriguez. This team has enough liars.
One comment that Jeter made was telling. He pointed out that Alex was cheating himself using PEDs. Like Cashman, Jeter refuses to pretend that what Alex using PEDs wasn’t cheating. If Jeter chooses not to be one or join the moral ambivalent then more power to him.

Also, all this talk that steroids weren’t banned in baseball when Alex used isn’t true. In 1991, Faye Vincent send out a memo stating that the baseball policy that using or possessing any illegal or controlled substance is against MLB rules. He specifically mentioned steroids. And even if Vincent hadn’t issue that policy, federal statutes (1988/1990) state that it is illegal to acquire a prescribed medication from anyone other than a physician register with the FDA so all these guys were breaking the law. So find another argument to justify the cheating.

Where all this outrage against the media was when they were persecuting Bonds? It’s Alex’s turn.